Are there any web sites that you recommend that have good info about calorie counts of foods?

-Counting Calories

Dear Counting,

There are so many GREAT sites on the web for calorie counters. When I want the best, most accurate nutritional information, I go straight to the source, and visit official web sites of food companies or fast food restaurants. They usually have the most reliable info. If you're a little lazier and like to go to one source to get lots of information, there are two sites I recommend. One is dietfacts.com and the other is calorieking.com. They each have nutritionals on thousands of foods -- including name brands, pre-packaged foods, and restaurants. They're both awesome! And in case you don't already know about this one, there's an incredible comprehensive resource called "Dotti's Weight Loss Zone" that has a restaurant database containing fairly accurate point counts for foods from almost every restaurant chain known to man (it even includes places like Costco and 7-Eleven). It's fantastic if you follow Weight Watchers.

Dear Hungry Girl,

I have a 10 year old daughter who loves to snack after school. Often she asks me to take her to the fast food drive thru window as soon as I pick her up. What are some low calorie snacks that I can either bring in the car, or get at a fast food restaurant?

-Hungry Kid's Mom

Dear Mom,

Afterschool snacks can be tricky. Especially if you find yourself at the fast food window. I would definitely avoid getting your daughter things like chicken nuggets, fries, burgers, etc. If she wants more of a meal, go for Wendy's Chili. A small order only has 220 calories and 6g of fat (it also packs in 5g of fiber). If she's looking for something sweet, your best bets are Wendy's fruit salad, or McDonald's Apple Dippers or their ice cream cones. If you want to bring a snack from home, I'd recommend popping a mini bag of Jolly Time Healthy pop before you leave to pick her up, or grabbing a pre-packaged snack like Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs, or my new favorites, organic Healthy Handfuls (I love their "Lucky Duckies" cheese snacks and I'm not 10 years old!) The single serving bags are a life-saver, especially if, like most of us, your daughter tends to eat larger portions. Let me know how the new snacks work out!

CHEW ON THIS:May is National Egg Month. There's still time to celebrate with fluffy, healthy egg white omelettes packed with veggies...Yum!

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